Gesture has privileged access to information that children know but do not
say. As such, it can serve as an additional window to the mind of the devel
oping child, one that researchers are only beginning to acknowledge. Gestur
e might, however, do more than merely reflect understanding-it may be invol
ved in the process of cognitive change itself. This question will guide res
earch on gesture as we enter the new millennium. Gesture might contribute t
o change through two mechanisms which are not mutually exclusive: (1) indir
ectly, by communicating unspoken aspects of the learner's cognitive state t
o potential agents of change (parents, teachers, siblings, friends); and (2
) directly by offering the learner a simpler way to express and explore ide
as that may be difficult to think through in a verbal format, thus easing t
he learner's cognitive burden. As a result, the next decade may well offer
evidence of gesture's dual potential as an illuminating tool for researcher
s and as a facilitator of cognitive growth for learners themselves.